"Rocky Ground" is a song written and recorded by American musician

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

. It is the second single from his album ''

Wrecking Ball A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1950s and 1960s. Several wrecking companies claim to have invented the wrecking ball. An e ...

'' and was released exclusively in select stores as a limited-edition 7-inch 45-rpm vinyl single as a part of

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

on April 21, 2012. The song made its live debut on March 9, 2012, during Springsteen and the E Street Band's performance at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

. A music video for the song was first teased on

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and

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on May 24, 2012, and released the following day on May 25, 2012. The music video features the lyrics being written down on paper in sync with the song, interchanging this with a series of urban and suburban imagery. On June 15, 2012, a video for the "Modern Mix" of the song was released. The remixed version was produced by Ron Aniello and Matthew Koma.

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

named the song the 7th best song of 2012.

Lyrics and music

The song is heavy with a religious theme and features a gospel choir backing Springsteen. Singer Michelle Moore provides backing vocals along with

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, a first for a Springsteen album. Springsteen has stated he originally attempted to do the rapping himself but was not satisfied with the sound. "Rocky Ground" contains excerpts of "I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord", a traditional gospel song performed by Congregation of the Church of God in Christ and recorded by

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century. He was also a musician himself, as well as a folklorist, archivist, writer, sch ...

in 1942.

Track listing

#"Rocky Ground": 4:40 #"The Promise (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live from the Carousel,

Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

)": 5:59

Personnel

* Bruce Springsteen – lead vocal, guitars, percussion and loops * Ron Aniello – drums and loops *

Art Baron Arthur John Baron (born January 5, 1950) is an American jazz trombonist. He also plays didgeridoo, conch shell, penny-whistle, alto and bass recorder, and tuba. Career overview Baron is an alumnus of the Berklee College of Music. He joined ...

– euphonium and tuba * Clark Gayton – trombone * Charlie Giordano – piano and organ *

Stan Harrison Stan Harrison (born December 8, 1953) is an American saxophonist who is also accomplished in playing other woodwind instruments, namely the horn, flute and clarinet. He has also written music for television. Harrison released his first solo album ...

– clarinet, alto saxophone and tenor saxophone * Dan Levine – alto horn and euphonium *

Ed Manion Ed Manion (born February 28, 1952), also known as Eddie "Kingfish" Manion, is an American saxophonist, who plays both tenor and baritone sax. As a solo artist, he released his own instrumental album titled Nightlife in 2015. Manion is currently a ...

– tenor saxophone and baritone saxophone * Michelle Moore – backing vocals and rapping * Curt Ramm – trumpet and cornet *

Patti Scialfa Vivienne Patricia Scialfa ( ; born July 29, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Scialfa has been a member of the E Street Band since 1984 and has been married to Bruce Springsteen since 1991. In 2014, Scialfa was inducted into ...

– backing vocals * Victorious Gospel Choir – backing vocals

References

External links

Brucespringsteen.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocky Ground 2012 songs Bruce Springsteen songs Songs written by Bruce Springsteen Columbia Records singles 2012 singles Song recordings produced by Ron Aniello Song recordings produced by Bruce Springsteen